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This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 at 9:39 am and is filed under NZ Politics.
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Jesus! I knew Labour was stuff finically
but getting a form 3 media studies group to shoot, act and produce
an ad that was written by a 12 year old boy who had just read about
revolutions and mutiny, should be against the law.
Please tell me I have it right as far as the producers are concerned.
If not the advertising industry in NZ is finally F@#$%%d

Please please please the writers and producer of this masterpiece, please let us know who you are.
It is your duty as a human being and a NZder to out yourself.

The Left just aren’t funny. They had a classic format for an advert to copy from and they butchered it. They should have stuck to it, kept it short and sweet. Anyone with any attention to detail would have done a better job. Pathetic!

I love that they don’t seem to have realised that by calling for people to “join the opposition” that kind of leaves them stuck as, well, the opposition. I guess if they like it there all power to them.

Auberon, an easy mistake to make. If it had some of his mums recipes slotted in it would definately be a brown effort.
Does anybody else feel vaguely uncomfortable with hodgsdons cameo? I saw this last night and blogged on it at the time. He comes across as a very creepy uncle.

Key is looking more and more likely to take the record for longest ever time as PM…

At this stage in her Premiership Clark had managed to offend and degrade sections of the population with her acid tongue. But because Helen’s on the political left that was okay… just like it’s okay for black people to use the ‘N’ word.

The thing about John Key is he’s actually nice to the people that didn’t vote for him. He doesn’t refer to the nasty left-wing with their bonfire politics. IMO John completely destroys the myth that was Helen Clark.

It would be sad and pathetic if it wasn’t so scary.
Realize what you see here in action is the result of more than 10 years of creeping indoctrination through a state school system that has been geared and rigged to produce this kind of fanatics and ‘believers’, who will take anything on board that is being sprouted by their leaders and self-proclaimed intellectuals. They may now be only 15-16 but in a couple of years time this is the first row of the marching jackboots.

This looks funny and silly but scares the shit right out of me. Whoever said that this looked just like the Hitler Jugend is spot on, that is precisely what it is, and I bet you there is a future aunty Helen out there somewhere, a worse one, without any materialistic desires but with only a burning lust for power. A Robespierre, a Marat, a Hitler, one that will stoop to any low and vile means of persuasion, ready to make any promise, in order to achieve but one thing: the grubby tentacles of the socialist state into every little part of everybody’s lives.

Join the opposition? Eh? Are they saying they wish for people to join the opposition … and stay in opposition … what forever perhaps? (Eg like the Greens – they’d rather remain in opposition on principles than be corrupted by power)? That’s how it reads to me!

Adolf
organically grown gender neutral broomsticks..
And not at the slope each broomstick has the right to stand proudly upright
unless that would make another broomstick feel inferior in which case ……

They may now be only 15-16 but in a couple of years time this is the first row of the marching jackboots.

^ nah, I reckon they’re early 20s – first year university types. Old enough to buy smokes and drink (yet they choose to make a political video, go figure).

The main problem with this video is that it’s opposition just for the sake of opposition. There’s nothing National are doing to fire up anyone let alone the political left. We on the right had plenty to complain about – Winstongate, EFA/EFB, 2005 overspend, Tax, Cullen, Helengrade……

Is Pete Hodgson, with the “so you’re one of us… OK, I’ll give you the good stuff” line, supposed to be a leader of some sort of secret masonic lodge or a drug dealer?

The saddest bit is the ‘marching down the street looking militant’ bit. Only they’re marching on the footpath, not the street, which gives it a ‘we’re militant, but we don’t want to disrupt the traffic’ look. We’re playing at militancy, but we’re really nice middle-class people.

I just feel sorry for earnest kids doing their best at something, putting it out there and getting cheerily (and occasionally cruelly) mocked by a bunch of adults. Possibly adults who couldn’t do much better if they tried to do something similar. It’s impolite.

I agree with you about the glimmers of talent. The “whack-a-tain” thing was fast enough and unexpected enough to be funny. And you can sort of see what they were trying to do with it. They just went a bit long and too complicated to get their point across – reminds me of this. And their sound let them down. Good sound is far more important than people realise.

But there are some good ideas in there. People gradually joining the group as it marches down the street, then breaks into a run. You can see what they were trying to do there.

Better idea with a low budget is to go the whole way with the absurdity and hope you strike a chord with viewers at the same time as getting one very simple point across. Then you get to take advantage of the viral nature of online videos – people tell others to watch it because they think they’ll get a kick out of it.

The best thing Young Labour did in 2005 was the 0800 DON BRASH number. It had a low budget, but it was wacky, funny, got one single point across, and was entertaining enough that long after the 0800 number had hit its limit, people were emailing the mp3 to each other – and it got play on the news, I think.

That’s what low-budget youth branches of political parties need to do to have any impact, I think.

The left wing contibutors have always taken great delight in using this blog to proselytize; I guess the debates offer more of an intellectual challenge than the left wing blogs which in general offer the same satisfaction as kissing your sister. And yet no comment on this ill- conceived promo ( none of the usual defence) it must be really bad, embarrassing even.

Hell and I thought Kate Wilkinson was going to be a problem for National.
After seeing this clip from Young Labour National has nothing to worry about.
They can now go ahead and completely balls things up and still came out looking good.
Kate could also look for a career change.. she would be a stand out leader for Labour,
compared to the monkeys and the chicken dancer they have in their ranks now.

I think you have to remember that they’re Otago Students, so probably were drunk when they joined Labour. If they were real lefties they would have joined Socialist Workers or whatever they’re now called. When they graduate, they’ll discover that forking over half their income to pay for solo mums on welfare actually stinks.

Plus Pete Hodgson is the Dunedin North MP – which shows how drunk Otago students are if they think he is the best to represent them.

That bloody line is the only reason this nation needs to NEVER vote Labour back into power.

I wouldn’t worry too much, BB. Remember, when Clark, Goff, Hodgson and the rest of them had a chance to reverse the savage benefit cuts introduced by Shipley they did nothing. Too gutless to attack the poor themselves, they were happy to let someone else do it for them, then whistle and look the other way when they gained power.

No doubt the makers of this video were still playing with their Barbies when that happened, so they forget that “the bells of socio-economic freedom” haven’t rung out under Labour since well before they were conceived.

Believe it or not I am not a totally heartless bastard, I actually believe that NZ should have a gold plated welfare system that provides a better than average lifestyle for the few GENUINE cases we have.

I believe that the way we look after our war vets is shameful, the way we “care” for our mentally ill is shocking and the amount we hand out to our genuine sickness and invalids is embarrassing.

The problem we have is low life scum like Bradford and her ilk, as soon as a government decides to do the right thing for these groups we have the left wing low life finding ways for the bludgers (Philip Ure) to get their hands on the money.

Is Pete Hodgson, with the “so you’re one of us… OK, I’ll give you the good stuff” line, supposed to be a leader of some sort of secret masonic lodge or a drug dealer?

I took it to mean he’ll only help you if you’re a labour party member. Which is a bit wrong considering he’s supposed to be the MP for North Dunedin & help and represent all in his electorate. I guess the truth is finally out.

Having the labour badge under his collar, what’s with that? Must be embarrassed to be a member of the Labour party now. Shows what he thinks of Goff then, doesn’t it?

This video with the unusual person Hodgsen showing off his Labour Badge which is BEHIND his lapel like some secret gang patch and then he says “Ok I will get you the good stuff”, what is that a reference to – except drugs for heavens sake. So he thinks young people will respond to something secret and illegal. Then he shows a whole series of PAST policy initiatives, nothing abut the future. National will bank this ad and show it over and over again. It is utterly stupid beyond belief. I call it a “Weatherstone” ad. Opps I might upset someone with that.

Crickey, what’s the significance of the two people snogging as the Young Laborites dash past the Uni?

Niggly, this is their vision of utopia with “the bells of socio-economic freedom” ringing out, Pete dancing and giving out the good stuff, people snogging on the street (was it a man & woman or 2 boys practicing socio-sexual freedom by the way?), clean living suits being interrogated, youths dominating the footpaths and various constituencies being bribed with their own money.

Why are they so obsessed with dividing the pie according to their pet agenda, when the name of the game is ‘grow the pie’?

I can’t help but agree with dimmocrazy’s “10 years of creeping indoctrination through a state school system” as an explanation to this…

I actually believe that NZ should have a gold plated welfare system that provides a better than average lifestyle for the few GENUINE cases we have

You and me both, BB. If they let us loose down at WINZ I suspect we might end up arguing over where the line was drawn under “genuine” but I also suspect that would be a long time coming, as we’d both be busy for months weeding out the obvious malingerers and bludgers.

I’m ashamed to say there’s one in my extended family (not by blood… a bad choice of partner by someone who ought to know better, though she’s ditched him recently). He’s an able bodied oaf who spends literally all day on the couch playing PS3 games – when he’s not “on a course” (organised and paid for by WINZ) or making “rap videos” with electronic equipment bought with his dole. His friends are universally the same. So I’m under no illusions about the leeches.

This is spooky.
Dimmocrazy was spot on at 11.08 a.m. with his comments.
I went to the Wednesday evening show before the Mount Albert bye election. I saw all the young Labour Party hacks there. The blokes were a pathetic bunch of weeds. But I had to admire their organisation. I looked at those imbeciles and thought that if the worst comes to the worst those punks will be the future of our country. It is not a nice thought.
Look carefully at the advert and note how it sucks up to university students and welfare bludgers. Tradesmen, and the dinkum working class, have been forsaken by this new Labour Party. Anybody who has enough brains to get a trade knows that Labour Party stuff is not for them. The Labour Party is for dole bludgers and students who complain about their arts degree not making them employable. But those unemployable mongols can put an erudite video together to suck in all their useless mates.
That is the truly scary part.

Haven’t laughed this much in ages. Surely these students of political science should know something about the current economic reality. A bit embarrassing for Otago Uni. Pity they missed a shot of the last Labour government pissing billions of $ into the Leith?
Pete Hodgson should forfeit his salary for however long he was pissing around making such tripe.

HurfDurf – I think Kiwirail was the first card, but the camera was panned out for a reason.

“I wouldn’t at all be surprised if perhaps advertisers had incorporated some of the Nazis’ methods over the years…”

They were doing it in the 50’s stephen.

Don’t underestimate the viral power of ads like these. As Ryan says, to adults it looks childish. But we’re not the audience, are we? This is a first attempt. They’ll note what happens and the next and the next will grow in effect.

Also note the flash cards Hodgson displayed. D’ya think maybe that’s where their polling shows they’re getting resonance? Note those and watch for them to start playing those themes over the next few years.

What the Nats and ACT need to do RIGHT NOW is to mobilise their young people to do exactly the same. Counter it, like noise cancellation. And FFS don’t make it nerdy and/or dorky.

Remember, lefties are past masters at propaganda. Also remember that just because we don’t find it appealing, it doesn’t mean the target audience don’t. And each of them have one vote, just like each of us.

reid, naa mate. This is the best they can do, believe me. These kids will be out of University by the time the next election comes around and even then they won’t win it.

I wouldn’t be advising Campus ACT to copy this at all. However what I do like is that Labour Youth are getting out there and putting their heads up when it isn’t even an election year. This is something that will help their organisation and legitimise it to other students. However that is much easier to do for them as Otago is left wing and if you attempted anything remotely right wing it would be shouted down by the militants that reside within OUSA.

The only mobilisation needed by ACT and National students is to get out there and fight hard for VSM.

Thank you Labour for making sure that I will always be a centre-right rational thinker.

I mean “Join the Opposition”. Maybe Young Labour’s lost their faith in their adult counterparts as well (along with the vast majority of NZer’s). How else could they produce such an ad that just…sucks…arse.

This “momentum” is not the sort I was referring to, this will put them back for a year – heh. They will sit back thinking this was a great video and relax, we can do more by organising our grass roots without humiliating ourselves. The reason why they are all excited now is that many of them were in attendence at Mt Albert a few weeks ago. Labour paid for 2 or three of the Otago members to go up there, Pete and Clare sorted it out for them. Add them to the Wellington members bussed up and every Labour Youth member in Auckland and you can see why they all got excited.

“what is that a reference to – except drugs for heavens sake. So he thinks young people will respond to something secret and illegal.”

An old trick of the capitalists – I looked at some cola the other day – it was “Illicit” or some similar sounding brand, with a “secret ingredient from the South American rainforest” or some similar trying-to-sound-like-a-drug claim. The “secret ingredient” was yerba mate. Just a tea-like substance with an obscure name, which the manufacturers were hoping kids would think was something dodge.

“Remember, lefties are past masters at propaganda. ”

Yeah – here lefties are copying the product of a capitalist media agency’s fake ‘revolutionary’ advert. The evil swine, how dare the leftists copy the capitalists’ copy of leftists!

Well…that’s a lot of flaming and criticism over a video that people actually put time into. I’ve only seen one or two bits of vaguely positive stuff/constructive criticism on here. Yes, it may be based off an ad, and may not be amazingly-well-produced, but considering it was done in spare time, without piles of professional equipment or money, I’d say it turned out pretty well. As for comparing it to communism or a Nazi recruitment video, that’s taking things a wee bit far. Sure, there may be a lot of red throughout, but that’s the colour of Labour, so we stuck with it.

Yes, I was involved in some of the acting for this video (miscellaneous guy in the background in several scenes), and until the Tory youth (or young nats, whatever you’re called) produce something like this, I feel people should refrain from putting down an honest attempt at giving it the good old kiwi try. Admittedly, Hodge does seem a little dodgy, but that was a reference to underground resistance (hiding the badge under the lapel) rather than some sort of Gang, as several people have inferred.
I’m not personally part of young labour myself, but got dragged into the filming by several friends who are, and believe me, they actually spent a decent amount of time on it. So quit flaming and cut Young Labour some slack. Constructive criticism, yes, comparing it to Nazi Youth, no.

I bet if this was a “well produced” film the argument here would be “obviously paid for by the tax payer or aunty helen”. Seriously, with the thinking processes of some New Zealander’s I question how this country is even being governed right now.
Clearly this is an Otago student video with no direct funding relationship with the likes of BBC, Warner Bros or Hollywood but in the middle of a bloody recession what more did you expect? A walk-in appearance of Micheal Jackson right before his death? A waving good bye of Helen Clark flying all the way from New York?

Oh and what did the Young Nat’s rely on in election year? Nothing but word of mouth.

Absolutely nothing, as a student at Auckland university last year I don’t even recall a stall by the Young Nat’s or leaflet drops that were organized regularly by Young Labour to be picked up right before a lecture on “legal methods”.

As a young tertiary student myself I am more inclined to vote for and join a party that actually has a progressive youth sector making some descent political noise!
Youth campaigns from Labour and the Greens are far more visible and clearly received than the likes of Young Nat’s and Young Act’s who blog their way to death by arthritis – its all about power to the people.

Welcome back FAIL, I mean Fale. I’m sure the reason why you didn’t see any ACT or National youth at Auckland University is because you’re deep inside the unpleasent orifice of the left.

And Lumathe, who isn’t Labour but is “friends” with them, only sad Labour people call the Young Nats – Tory Youth. Please don’t pretend you’re on a higher plateau than your friends. A “good old kiwi try” isn’t putting together some video making your opponents look like some money hungry scoundrels – Kiwi values are a little more advanced than that subtle attempt to make right wingers look like money obsessed sub-humans…

Why thank you for the random act of kindness Clintheine, it’s not everyday your welcomed onto a blog like that!!

Clintheine, I should point out that at the tender ages of between 16 and 21 university political recruitment is the most strategic method of action, even if your parents vote completely different.
It was at university that Helen Clark decided to stray from the family pack and join Young Labour, alongside many other highly profiled Labour MP’s of today and of yesterday.

If those of Young Labour have the time, effort and commitment to their political campaigns they should be given the utmost support and encouragement. From people like you clintheine I struggle to comprehend how you sleep at night…

If this is the future of the political spectrum in New Zealand than I am very concerned.

Hey Fale, at AU last year there was fuck all there in terms of youth political groups campaigning, with the exception of ACT On Campus, who went through one of the computer rooms and doled out free condoms with “fuck Labour” and “How big is your…economy?” on them. That was pretty clever. Better than that shitty video, anyway.

I would dispute that statement completely Hurf Durf, I don’t know where you mingle on campus but I was definitely approached on orientation, clubs days, random days, etc…

Young Labour’s presence on campus is at most effective, motivating and strategically successful – You see in 2008 I was a first year with no political allegiances or interest what so ever – the same can be said for other like-minded students fresh from secondary school.
So along comes Young Labour with this huge vision of Labour party recruitment, targeting the right groups of students and remaining consistent and enthusiastic about the result. I joined the party because of these exact efforts and to this very day there have been no regrets.
I have my slight disagreements on some particular issues but Labour best represents students because its actually out there physically recruiting the young and politically small-minded.

If the Young Nat’s got to me first I can guarantee that I would not be a Labour supporter and the same can be said for the Young Act’s, Greens or even NZ First lol.
As for the condoms, I don’t recall such an occurrence but I don’t use the state’s computers so I wouldn’t know would I?

The point here is this – I will not support a party that does jack all in terms of recruitment, active involvement and interest in new young-minded members.
I prefer a party like Labour that has an effective policy for young people across many sectors and covering many issues and I support a party that actually does something for what it stands for.

The opportunity is open to all political parties of NZ, the issue here is how many are actually doing so successfully?

“Young Labour’s presence on campus is at most effective, motivating and strategically successful – You see in 2008 I was a first year with no political allegiances or interest what so ever – the same can be said for other like-minded students fresh from secondary school.”

So was I, for the first part. But then I was paying attention and had gradually figured out that socialism was a fraud and a waste of time and I couldn’t be bought off with Laborgs jumping up to me with leaflets before others could. I couldn’t be bought off with discredited and lazy policy. Interest-free loans? If they gave a shit they wouldn’t have left that so late. Emissions trading? Kiss goodbye to economic recovery. KiwiRail? Get the fuck out, Labour. How pathetic are you if you join a party simply because its youth wing gave you unwarranted attention?

“As for the condoms, I don’t recall such an occurrence but I don’t use the state’s computers so I wouldn’t know would I?”

It’s the university’s computers which I am allowed to use because I paid the university’s fees. Does that mean you don’t use the library or its online e-journal system then? Because you’re setting sail for a hard fail.

“Labour best represents students because its actually out there physically recruiting the young and politically small-minded.”

Good for you Hurf Duff, but is the issue here about why students support one party over another or is it more about the relevance of party campaigning on campus and the effectiveness of Young Labour’s? I don’t like to doodle off topic.
Your view on Socialism is at most one-sided and I could argue something similar for Right-wing Conservatism but on a Sunday night I just don’t have the tolerance. But to address your concern – no I don’t support Labour because I get attention from them, more or less I support Labour because they best identify with me and the issues I support, they represent me better than most other parties will and their policies directly contribute to my success. Policies like investment in education, health care, the economy and employment, its investment in families and in many other at need industries – as a Polynesian immigrant I feel privileged at being supported and encouraged by the back-bone of our former Labour administration that no doubt contributed to the success of my own but also to like-minded immigrants.

P.S
I can use the university’s online systems via my lap top so I don’t see the need in investing valuable study time in failed attempts to locate a university computer within an hour. Not to mention the speed and performance of such computers. For someone proudly “paying fees” I would be a bit more concerned at exactly what your getting from such payment. I was fortunate to receive a Polynesian scholarship after High school so I am not in the same position.

“the issue here about why students support one party over another or is it more about the relevance of party campaigning on campus and the effectiveness of Young Labour’s?’

Free money and naive idealism goes far.

Though fair enough for you. Labour has paid and billeted for your social rise and it’s natural and understandable that you would reciprocate in kind. I hope you are doing well with the scholarship my and my family’s taxes are paying for. Or maybe it’s the cash from the scholarship my Malaysian friend was getting before it was cancelled? Oh well, it doesn’t matter anymore. Good luck.

Agreed on the computer front. I only managed to grab it because it was just there available, I don’t bother anymore. If I have to I’ll rent out a laptop. Such a pity Labour couldn’t provide enough funding for more computers to feed young minds and help them succeed, instead spending that money on philu’s news aggregator and nationalising the railway.